Best Served Cold: A Hannah Swensen Mystery Recap
Best Served Cold: A Hannah Swensen Mystery Recap
Best Served Cold: A Hannah Swensen Mystery on Hallmark opens with our heroine Hannah making a chocolate cheesecake while explaining the process, not knowing that someone is spying on her and taking pictures.
Delores then goes to a pawn shop, where she hits on a man, who tells her his wife will help her. All the while, she takes more pictures and asks the wife about special coins…leading to bonding and a sale cut short due to smoke.
Of course, the smoke is a distraction……
Hannah works on a dessert for a contest when Chad comes to visit, saying he has a lot more work since he is taking over Lucas’s cases.
After he leaves, Hannah works on some deliveries, including one to Lucas and his wife Danielle Straub. This makes me think of RHONJ and for a split second thought we would be seeing THAT Danielle.
Danielle and Hannah talk about Lucas’s disappearance and how this one feels different since his fishing equipment is still at home. Cue Hannah getting hired to find Lucas.
Malvern….who or what is it? Is it connected to the case?
Chad works on a case involving coins. Who wants to bet it is connected to the mystery lady?
Hannah and Chad are on a double date with Delores and discuss the coin case and Lucas’s disappearance.
At the bakery, Lisa makes Delores coffee and chocolate treat so she can go investigate with Hannah. They end up a cigar shop , which is locked. They go into the back to spy and find a very dead man…..screaming like Burton Guster.
Roland questions them, causing Delores to get sassy and Hannah trying to explain that they were trying to connect the cigars to Lucas.
The dead dude was a con man named Paul Jacobson, who owns the coin shop Delores was at…..Roland is not happy with the ladies being involved.
Chad learns the wife, Mitzi, is also in on the scam….and he wonders if Lucas’s disappearance is at all connected.
Hannah goes to the store Mitzi loves in hopes of running into her…..but runs into Danielle instead.
The trial begins Monday for Mitzi, who wants to clear Paul’s name.
Hannah continues her spy mission and learns that Lucas’s fishing buddies haven’t seen him either…..but they think they found one of his boots.
Hannah finds what turns out to be a laptop belonging to Lucas. Chad joins her and they wonder if he tossed it in the lake or someone else did and is holding Lucas captive.
Sadly, the water damage is too severe to get into the laptop. Hannah wonders if this is connected to Paul’s case, but is told to mind her own business. However, she is still determined to help and talks to Moishe the cat, but not before Chad tells her he won’t give up on the case.
Back at the bakery, Hannah and company wonder why Lucas doesn’t have pictures of Danielle in his office….and come up with theories that she is involved in his disappearance and maybe even in a situationship of some sort.
Hannah and Mitzi meet in the store, with the latter acting all BFF and wanting to be social media partners, leaving Hannah all WTF.
Somehow, everyone ends up in the station eating cookies, where Hannah finds out Delores is testifying in the Jacobson case.
Hannah is all WTF about Delores testifying and still is channeling Nancy Drew and the Case of Lucas, Paul and the Fraudulent Coins. She goes to meet Danielle, armed with coffee and a blueberry muffin.
Danielle says there is no activity on his phone or credit cards and all his passwords have been changed. There is still no word on what Malvern means.
Hannah recruits Michelle to spy on Danielle at the gym while she delivers pastries.
Chad continues with the Jacobson case.
The Swensen ladies enjoy dinner, where Michelle says the ladies were gossiping about Danielle’s new car and diamond earrings. Hello, and welcome to Suspicion Town.
A rock is thrown at a window, telling Hannah to mind her own business. They all run off for a slumber party at Delores’s house, arguing over whether or not to take the meatloaf. Ladies, grab the wine and cat and RUN! Order pizza later!
Chad turns down Hannah’s pastries before he goes to court…..but everyone else is happy to have a treat and a full belly. She insults Ron, not knowing he was behind her….and then tells him that Danielle is spending money like a Real Housewife gone wild and she has some ‘splaining to do! He tells her to be careful.
Delores eats cookies while talking about her testimony. Hannah plans to spy at a golf course, worrying….everyone in her general vicinity.
Other than delivering cookies, she gets bupkis and Michelle saying ‘I told you so.’
As they have a movie night, Hannah connects Malvern to Pennsylvania and Civil War coins…..
Chad comes over before going back to the office. Hannah gives him coffee, corn chowder and good luck words of wisdom, all while Michelle offers commentary. She asks him about Malvern, but he has no idea what it means….yet.
He tells her that it will be three to five years before Mitzi will be able to collaborate with her and kisses her goodbye.
Hannah has a fit over the newspaper report on the Jacobson case and after venting to Lisa, rushes to court.
Chad guides Delores through court and a line of reporters.
On the stand, she acts sassy about her private eye job, but seems to win everyone over as she explains how she realized the coins were fake and went to the store to spy.
She then shows the pictures she took to the jury, explaining everything she saw. Everything seems to go well, until Mitzi’s lawyer questions her experience. Even so, Delores holds her composure and keeps her sass.
Hannah and Delores have dinner and realize Malvern is also a ship from the Civil War. They wonder how Lucas’s golf balls on his desk are connected, so Delores suggests Hannah go undercover.
Danielle calls Hannah and invites her over because something weird is happening. Delores goes with her….but they also get their food to go.
Danielle thinks Lucas may have been home since there are things out of place. Hannah takes pictures as Delores distracts Danielle by asking to use the bathroom and about her car.
Hannah has a phone number, which Delores connects to the golf course. They also noticed the cigars and are more confused than ever.
Cue Hannah going undercover at the cigar bar in a hazmat suit…..NOT getting caught as she steals mail.
Despite the federal offense she just committed, she connects Malvern to the Golden Ticket and realizes Paul owned the cigar shop as well. She calls Chad, but he is in court.
Ron tells Chad they think Paul was poisoned, but there is no way to convince the jury without solid evidence.
Michelle is putting her artwork up when Hannah tells her about the cigar shop connection. She is still going undercover at the golf course, leading to an argument over Michelle’s plaid pants.
Chad is happy Hannah delivered him food before her undercover adventure. He looks at The Golden Ticket social media page and notices Mitzi posts a lot.
Hannah creates a distraction so she can spy and giving Agent Joss Jacks a run for her money on Most Obvious Spy, almost gets caught. She rushes off…..just as Mitzi goes on the stand in court.
Hannah gets the name Rod Badscomb, which leads to….guest rooms? She wants to spy, so she calls Michelle and says she is going to spy some more as a housekeeper.
Michelle wants her to use a safe word (even though they aren’t in the same place and won’t be on the phone?) but Hannah hangs up on her before they can come up with one.
Mitzi says she has no head for business but is into baking and more fun stuff…..so she had no idea her husband was a big fat liar and con man.
Hannah finds Lucas, who tries to send her away. Meanwhile, Mitzi claims she is just an innocent victim in all this….but Chad shows her pictures from Delores that prove otherwise! There are a pair of pink glasses on her desk…..but what do they prove.
Lucas is in money trouble with Rod…..thanks to his gambling. The cigars he was given after a big win could lead to big trouble, so he staged his disappearance and gave Chad the case….since the cigars were connected to Paul.
Mitzi is all teary on the stand….and says Paul had a tree nut allergy….which is what killed him. She claims she had no idea since she was doing social media posts.
Chad is given five minutes to get information….so he calls Hannah to tell her to get her butt to the courthouse ASAP. Delores goes to sit with Danielle at the police station, where Lucas is heading.
Chad goes all Elle Woods on Mitzi and shows her a picture of a chocolate cheesecake she posted. He then calls Hannah to the stand, who is all decked out in her golfing best.
Delores meets Danielle, where they sit down with coffee and cookies. They talk about Danielle’s earrings, which may need to be rehomed.
The judge fan-boys over Hannah’s butterscotch marshmallow cookies before Chad questions Hannah about Mitzi’s chocolate cheesecake. She points out some mistakes in the cake, which include beads of condensation and NUTS in the crust….almonds, to be specific……which Paul was allergic to and ate due to Mitzi serving it to him for dessert. SHE killed her husband….and seems to feel badly about it, at least.
Hannah and Chad toast to their success. Lucas will probably receive a short suspension from the bar, but lost his job. They talk about Mitzi’s diabolical plan, with Hannah wondering how Chad made the connection. It turns out his mom was a baker and the reason why he doesn’t eat her treats is because they remind him of his mom.
Delores comes in screaming that Hannah is the town hero! Everyone toasts again as the movie ends.
